A few weeks ago, I was sat in a Bird Hide at Blashford Lakes taking pot shots of common garden birds in the rain, like this shot of a chaffinch.
After a while I moved to another hide and settled in for a long wait in the hope that the resident Kingfisher would put in an appearance, (of which it did for an entire 3 seconds after 2 hours of waiting).
Anyway, as I was sitting there, listening to the rain and generally feeling fed up with the weather, I cast my mind back a few years to when I first started photography and a particular shot I took of a fallow stag in the rain.
I remembered that at the time I thought about heading out in the rain more often. The blurs of rain drops really seemed to add some atmosphere to my shots but nothing after became of it.
It was then that a light bulb went off in my head. The company that manufactured the Neoprene Lens Coat I purchased the week before also did rain covers. So I went home and ordered one.
Thanks to great customer service by Outdoor Photography Gear and a long story short, I've actually wound up with two different versions of the cover - one of which was complimentary and to try out for the purpose of gathering feedback.
I haven't had a chance to test them yet, (as I have literally received them in the last hour). But I thought I'd rig up the camera in the back garden and try them out for size and post an initial review here.
Here's the two covers:
How good are you at spot the difference?
At first glance they look the same, and in most respects they are identical. The only difference is at the rear of the cover.
One has a large opening at the SLR end with 'Dressmakers "boning" in the rear hem that allows you to shape a "window" to your own preference and holds the cover off the camera and allows good hand access'.
The second and new, 'alternate', version has a pull chord allowing you to close up this gap - ideal for when you're trekking back to the car to prevent rain from getting to the camera body.
From my preliminary inspection of these I have to say I'm quite impressed and I think they will both get a lot of use although at this point I'm uncertain which will see the most use.
So until I've had a chance to fully field test these babies, heres my thinking:
The pull chord version has been folded up neatly and stored in one of the numerous pockets of my photographers vest for quick access in those times when I'm out walking around with and the rain unexpectedly rolls in. It will allow me to cover my gear and continue carrying it around without having to worry too much about stopping my shoot an rushing back to the car trying to keep my kit dry.
The other version will be used for planned 'rainy' trips out into the forest when I'll be staying mostly stationary in around a particular spot for long periods of time, or have additional cover such as a hide or trees sheltering me.
Outdoor Photography Gear are also consideirng bundling a matching waterproof lens cap with these covers which I think will be a fantastic idea and somthing I'll have to purchase to go alongside these.
So to wrap this up, stay check back soon for results after I get a chance to use these covers and in the mean time, I highly recommend taking a trip to the Outdoor Photography Gear website or looking them up on eEbay.
I'm really impressed by their great products, especially the lens coat 'clone'. They also have amazing customer service with messages being answered quickly and problems resolved ASAP. Its not often you find that level of service so check them out if you're in need of anything.